DAEJEON, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Coffee has become more than just a drink, an important part of everyday life for South Koreans. Now, coffee comes in various shapes and sizes, including cups, cans, coffee mixes, and instant coffee. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), 543 patents applied for in the past five [...]

SEOUL, May 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Blue Bottle Coffee Inc., an American coffee brand that recently opened its first flagship store in South Korea, is stirring up controversy among South Korean consumers for the new store’s interior design. Also known as the ‘Apple of the Coffee Industry,’ Blue Bottle Coffee is well known for its [...]

SEOUL, Apr. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — CJ Foodville, the restaurant arm of food and entertainment conglomerate CJ, said Tuesday that it has decided to sell its coffee chain operator to a foreign private equity fund (PEF) for some 200 billion won (US$171 million) to improve its financial footing. The company’s board of directors approved a [...]

SEOUL, Apr. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Blue Bottle Coffee will officially debut in Seoul later this week, a South Korean affiliate of the upscale U.S. coffee chain operator said Tuesday. The new cafe will open in Seoul’s eastern Seongsu neighborhood — a trendy hangout spot where young artists and designers renovated existing buildings into art [...]

SEOUL, Apr. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — Starbucks coffee grounds are composted and sprayed on farmland, and agricultural products grown as food for the compost will be reborn as Starbucks products. Starbucks Coffee Korea Co. announced on Tuesday that it had signed a mutually beneficial agreement with the city of Pyeongtaek on Monday, along with the [...]

SEOUL, Mar. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent study has showed that the most comfortable price among consumers for a cup of coffee (americano) was 2,900 won (US$2.56), much lower than the actual price of americanos being sold in most coffee shops at over 4,000 won (US$3.53). The Consumer Network for Public Interest (CNPI), a [...]

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s imports of coffee declined last year for the first time since 2012, suggesting that the boom of coffee shops might have peaked, data showed Sunday. Imports of coffee fell to 143,000 tons in 2018, down 2,600 tons from a year ago, according to data by the Korea [...]

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of brewed coffee at local convenience stores have increased as more South Koreans seek cost effective drinks in the face of rising consumer prices, industry data showed Tuesday. BGF Retail Co., the operator of South Korea’s largest convenience store chain, CU, said revenues from brewed coffee at its [...]

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The world’s very first 5G robot cafe has opened in Seoul. KT Corp. announced on Tuesday that it has introduced 5G service at Beat Coffee, an unmanned cafe owned by Dal.komm Coffee, a South Korean coffee franchise, where a barista robot takes orders and prepares beverages. KT implemented a [...]

SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Blue Bottle Coffee Co., an upscale U.S. coffee chain operator, said Wednesday that it will open its first Korean shop in Seoul in the second quarter of next year as the company moves to expand its presence in the Asian market. It said the new cafe and a roastery [...]